"To take life," went on the old man in a voice which, though charged with strong emotion, seemed to be speaking to itself, "was the chief mark of the insensate barbarism still prevailing in those days. It sprang from that most irreligious fetish, the belief in the permanence of the individual ego after death. From the worship of that fetish had come all the sorrows of the human race. … They did not stop to love each other in this life; they were so sure they had all eternity to do it in. The doctrine was an invention to enable men to act like dogs with clear consciences. Love could never come to full fruition till it was destroyed."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Nobel laureates in LiteratureNovelists from EnglandEssayists from EnglandPlaywrights from EnglandActivists from England
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Fraternity (1909)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Galsworthy
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
John Galsworthy
1906 – 1921
John Galsworthy OM (14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga (1906–1921) and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1932.
52 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by John Galsworthy →
Related Quotes
"I greatly admire the keen and vigorous way in which you are driving forward a good cause. I am in entire sympathy wit…"
"Will you let me take this opportunity of saying how much I enjoyed and admired your play Strife. It is a fine piece o…"
"The world's a fine place for those who go out to take it; there's lots of unknown stuff in it yet. I'll fill your lap…"
"The Forsytes were resentful of something, not individually, but as a family; this resentment expressed itself in an a…"
"Justice is a machine that, when someone has once given it the starting push, rolls on of itself."
"When Man evolved Pity, he did a queer thing — deprived himself of the power of living life as it is without wishing i…"
"Life was to be lived — not torpidly dozed through in this queer cultured place, where age was in the blood! Life was …"
"It isn't enough to love people because they're good to you, or because in some way or other you're going to get somet…"
"Only love makes fruitful the soul. The sense of form that both had in such high degree prevented much demonstration; …"
"The value of a sentiment is the amount of sacrifice you are prepared to make for it."